The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that Ana Jackson is the newest addition to the team's cast of in-arena personalities that entertain hockey fans during home games. Jackson, a Columbus native and former television news reporter for NBC4 (WCHM), will share in-game hosting duties with veteran arena host Mike Todd, starting with Friday's home opening contest against the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.I can't recall having seen Ms. Jackson on the job (or if I did, she didn't leave an impression on me), so I can't speak to her qualifications. And this CrowdWave thing will likely have to be seen to be understood. At the same time, I'm giving the CBJ kudos for the whole process of engaging the fan base on game ops and rolling out new and hopefully better parts of the in-game experience.
...
An exciting new addition to the Blue Jackets game atmosphere this year is the introduction of CrowdWave's interactive game system and "Vision Interactive"™ technology. Columbus is one of only five National Hockey League clubs to introduce the innovative entertainment system this season.
CrowdWave is a unique mass-participation, interactive game platform that turns every fan into a human controller, enabling them to work together or compete against each other in video games shown on the Nationwide Arena's video displays. Fans will experience a completely new level of interaction simply by moving their arms. CrowdWave's game system and Vision Interactive™ technology analyzes the direction, intensity and timing of a crowd’s movement, as a whole or section by section, to control on-screen events – to play a game, answer a poll or make a choice.
Nothing beats seeing your team win a great game on the ice, but it's OK to make the experience a positive one on other levels!
I want to see less crowd involvement and more attention paid to the game on the ice. That's what I pay to see, not ordinary people making fools of themselves. And the only thing needed less that this Wave crap is another obnoxious "host" who thinks this job is the highlight of their show business career (which, in fact, it may truly be!). Shut up and show more hockey stuff - replays, highlights, other game action, etc.!
ReplyDeleteWhen will this organization start catering to those who actually like hockey, rather that the ones who just have nothing better to do.
ReplyDelete